First Steps Checklist

• Begin now to pray daily for the North Carolina Missions Offering and Week of Prayer emphasis in your church. Pray for people who will participate in mission opportunities and for those who will be reached through ministries made possible by the North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO).
  
  
• Read through the Coordinator’s Guide, making notes as ideas and questions occur to you. Prayerfully read Luke 8:8 and surrounding verses, opening your mind and heart to the power of these words from Jesus Christ.
  
  
• Contact your pastor, church council, or other appropriate leaders to schedule a missions emphasis for your church. If possible, plan for a Sunday-to-Sunday promotion. Consider a “kick-off” Sunday to encourage the congregation to pray for NC Baptist mission work and how they can get involved; a Wednesday night program; and the second Sunday to receive the offering and host final activities.
  
  
• Request a State Missionary Speaker for a Wednesday or Sunday service by calling 800.395.5102, ext. 5547. Presentations vary in length according to your needs.
  
  
• Encourage your pastor to plan worship on the first Sunday using the theme, “Are You Listening” and the Scripture text of Luke 8:8. Ask your pastor to consider preaching on the missions theme and Scripture. (A theme sermon by outgoing Biblical Recorder Editor Tony Cartledge will be provided in the September edition of UpClose, which is mailed to pastors statewide in August. A sermon outline is provided in the NCMO materials.) Be sure to note additional resources for worship included in this guide, such as the promotional video, bulletin inserts, and guest speaker information.

• In consultation with the pastor and other appropriate leaders, set a church-wide goal for the offering.
  
  
• Review the suggestions in this guide for the Wednesday night program and children’s activities. Some of the ideas for Wednesday night can also be adapted for Sunday School classes, worship services, prayer meetings, missions service groups, and other gatherings during the month prior to the missions emphasis.
  
  
• Confirm that your pastor plans to show one or more of the three-minute video segments at the offertory or other appropriate time during worship on both Sundays.
  
  
• Plan to show the remaining segments of the video during the Wednesday night service and at mission organization meetings. Enlist someone to set up and test the necessary equipment. Be sure to preview the video in advance.
  
  
• Gather materials and make arrangements for children’s activities including the “Are You Listening” offering banks (see 800 pennies). This year there we are introducing NiC and MO, a husband/wife team on their way to Gulfport with a truckload of supplies. We are asking each church to consider getting NiC and MO a mile toward Gulfport—where North Carolina Baptists are rebuilding 700 homes—at a dollar a foot.
  
  
• Begin to think creatively about how you can involve children and youth groups in “gettin’em to Gulfport!” Workdays, walking, running, jump rope or bike riding marathons with pledges per mile can involve your youth and adults in missions support. This can be an invigorating project for your church, and you can follow NiC and MO’s progress on the map.
  
  
• Gather the promotional resources and any additional materials you will need for your church’s emphasis such as bulletin inserts and posters. Order your FREE mission offering promotion materials by returning the postage-paid order card included with this packet or calling 800.395.5102 or 919.467.5100, ext. 5547. You may also order materials.
  
  
• Meet with the Sunday School director to discuss having each Sunday School class set an offering goal. Make Sunday School mini-posters for each class using the clip art in this guide.
  
  
• Log on to www.ncmissionsoffering.org for the most up-to-date information and resources for the 2007 North Carolina Missions Offering and Week of Prayer. The site, which features English and Spanish, is packed with resources for you: stories, videos, clip art, an update on the progress of “NiC” and “MO,” and much more.
  
  
• Enlist mission volunteers in your church to share testimonials about their experiences at appropriate events during the emphasis week.
  
  
• Recruit church members who are gifted in the arts to assist you with decorations, displays, bulletin boards, etc. for the weeks prior to the offering. Post a map of the Southeastern United States on a bulletin board to track “NiC” and “MO” as they travel from North Carolina to Gulfport. Assign someone to update the board periodically with information they receive from this site.
  
  
• Consider enlisting a brainstorming team to help generate other creative ideas for celebrating the missions emphasis.